Screening Of Fashola’s Nominees Suffers Setback

The screening of cabinet nominees sent to the Lagos State House of Assembly has suffered a setback as the exercise could not begin today as speculated.

This is because the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and some other key officers of the legislature have travelled to Ghana in company of the party leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is scheduled to receive an award in the West African country tomorrow.

The list of the 37 cabinet nominees was sent to the House of Assembly by the state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, last Friday evening.

As P.MN.EWS learnt today, the House will resume on 4 July to consider the names on the list, already generating some controversy.

A few members of the Lagos State House of Assembly who were around told P.M.NEWS this morning that the party leadership led by Asiwaju Tinubu held a meeting with Governor Fashola last weekend to amend the list of nominees, to comply with the wishes and expectations of members of the Action Congress Party of Nigeria.

The lawmakers hinted that when the House eventually sit to consider the list, it might be sent back to the governor to reflect the amendments the party leadership discussed with him.

The lawmakers noted that the whole of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government area, has no nominee in the list the governor sent to the State House of Assembly.

Names recommended by the party but which are missing on the governor’s list include those of Babatunde Ogala, who stepped down for the speaker to run from Ikeja Constituency; Mr. Rotimi Agunsoye, the former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Mrs. Kemi Nelson who was Commissioner for Women Affairs under Asiwaju Tinubu’s administration; Mr. Segun Ayobolu, a special adviser to Fashola on information and strategy until he resigned on health grounds last year and Toun Adediran, former deputy speaker of the house.

P.M.NEWS learnt that the Assembly has sent the list back to the governor to address the issue of missing names of partymen and the “strange names” appearing on the list.

The names of nominees who made the list include: former commissioners in the last cabinet, Ben Akabueze for Budget and Economic Planning; Dr. Jide Idris, formerly of the Health Ministry; Prince Segun Oniru, formerly of the Housing Ministry and their counterpart Dr. Obafemi Hamzat formerly of the Science and Technology Ministry and Tunji Bello, the Managing Director of the Lagos State Signage company and the State Commissioner for the Environment from 2003 to 2007. Former advisers who made the list are: Oyinlomo Danmole, Jimoh Ajao, Ade Ipaye, Ganiyu Johnson, and Kayode Opeifa.

The fresh nominees are: former Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State who defected to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, before the last election, Dr. Wale Ahmed, Adetokunbo Abiru, Olutoyin Ayinde, Dolapo Badru, Oladiran Folami and Ayo Gbeleyi.

Other fresh nominees include: Oladiran Disun Holloway, Babatunde Hunpe, Aderemi Ibirogba, Bosun Jeje, Gbolahan Lawal, Adebiyi Mabadeje, Cornelius Ojelabi, Seye Oladejo, Fatai Olukoga, Enitan Salvador, Abimbola Sodipo and Taofik Tijani.

The women nominees on the list are: Mrs. Oluranti Adebule, a lecturer at the Lagos State University, LASU; Mrs. Adesina Yewande; Mrs. Aderinola Disu; Mrs. Florence Oguntuase, Mrs. Oladunjoye Olayinka and Mrs. Senakpon Oworu.

—Eromosele Ebhomele